Guyana Observer News

Secret recording between duo surfaces

Thursday, 05 August 2010

…reveals details of relationship

By Michael Jordan

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A secretly recorded conversation on the mobile phone of Police Constable Kelvin Shepherd appears to reveal the motive for his murder and the identity of his killer. The recording also seems to support official reports that Assistant Superintendant of Police (ASP) Ivelaw Murray killed Shepherd, though it does not clear up the debate as to whether Murray took his own life. The approximately one-minute conversation is believed to have taken place some hours before Murray’s death. Patricia Shepherd, the slain constable’s mother, identified one of the speakers as her son. Murray’s father, retired Superintendant Ivan Daniels, who was invited to Kaieteur News office to listen to the recording, said that the voice of the other male appeared to be his son’s.

Shepherd’s mother dropped the bombshell yesterday when she handed over her son’s phone and a CD with the same conversation to this newspaper. She said that police who were investigating the two deaths took possession of her slain son’s mobile phone on the day that he was killed. After about three weeks, they returned the phone to her.
Ms. Shepherd believes that investigators checked the phone numbers in the instrument, but overlooked the recording her son made.
She related that a daughter was “going through” the touch-screen phone when she accidently heard the conversation.
“I was shocked,” she said.
According to Ms. Shepherd, she turned to the media to clear up rumours that her son and Shepherd were murdered over a soured money transaction.
“There was no third party. Murray killed my son,” she said.
The brief recording seems to suggest that ASP Murray was attempting to coerce Murray into an inappropriate relationship, and that the junior rank was rejecting his advances.
Asked about a motive, the woman suggested that Murray was angry at her son’s rejection.

THE CONVERSATION
The recording begins with the male identified as ASP Murray berating his ranks for not turning up when they are called out for duty.
The recording then continues with the man believed to be ASP Murray complaining to Constable Shepherd that Shepherd has been cutting off the phone when he (Murray) calls.
“You just trying to cut me off and telling me all kinda stupidness,” ‘Murray’ is heard saying. “I can’t help myself asking you questions,” ‘Murray’ adds.
Constable Shepherd is then heard telling ‘Murray’: “You does tek courtesy and mek love.”
In an agitated tone, the male believed to be ‘Murray’ tells Constable Shepherd about an unidentified individual (believed to be the junior rank’s girlfriend) that the constable has been carrying out. ‘Murray’ indicates that he is upset, since the relationship between Shepherd and the individual could become more serious.
….”You gun carry out somebody, you gun gaff with dem, and talk nice with dem, what you think gun eventually happen?” ‘Murray’ is heard asking.
“Is not two lil children dealing… so I doan know what you telling me ’bout teking courtesy and mek love,” the caller believed to be ‘Murray’ adds.
The recording concludes shortly after.
Commissioner of Police Henry Greene had told reporters that investigations had indicated that the two ranks were involved in an “inappropriate relationship.” This had angered Murray’s relatives who refuted suggestions that the ASP was a homosexual, or had ever displayed such tendencies.
While conceding that one of the men the recording sounded like his son, former Superintendant Daniels said that he still firmly believes that his son was murdered.
Some mystery still hangs over the death of ASP Murray, particularly since he died from two gunshots to the head.
Daniels has repeatedly said that he was told by a pathologist that either injury would have killed his son.
His relatives also pointed to the absence of gunpowder on Murray’s hands as evidence that his death was no suicide, though police say that blood on Murray’s hands affected their tests for gunpowder residue.
Commissioner Greene also added to the controversy when he told reporters that no spent shells were recovered from Murray’s .38 service revolver, which was found near his body. No ‘warheads’ were recovered from the scene, and police have been unable to match a damaged bullet that was extracted from Constable Shepherd’s corpse to Murray’s firearm.
Murray’s parents have contacted the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) and the Police Complaints Authority in attempts to have his death investigated further.
President of the GHRA, Michael Mc Cormack, had told Kaieteur News that given the facts, “a more serious investigation” was necessary.
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